Success story
The Volkswagen Group builds automated testing environment
Overview
The Volkswagen (VW) Group’s Electric Development department tests and enhances the technologies that support intelligent, connected vehicles. To improve testing speeds, scalability, and consistency, the VW Group used Red Hat technology to create a mixed-mode testing environment that combines virtual and real-life testing. With this new environment and an architecture created with Red Hat Open Innovation Labs, the VW Group improved component integrations, introduced self-service provisioning, and reduced costs for system tests by 50%.
Red Hat was willing to just get started, to experiment with new ideas in the right spirit and with the optimism we needed. And we knew, with their subscription model, that we’d have the best support for our unique demands.
Challenge
Simplify and automate component testing
The VW Group’s Electric Development department tests and adjusts electronic control units (ECUs), which control a vehicle’s electric systems. However, several factors made this work challenging. The VW Group needed to change its processes to increase collaboration with the external vendors who contribute ECU technology. It wanted a standardized architecture and a virtualized, automated environment for its testing.
Solution
Adopt a virtual environment with expert support
After sketching the vision and trying different technical ideas, the group turned to Red Hat, a trusted vendor. The project started with a 12-week hands-on residency with Red Hat Open Innovation Labs to develop and test the core of the VW Group’s future software integration platform. This platform supports early integration testing of software functions at scale using Red Hat OpenShift, an enterprise Kubernetes container platform. The VW Group also benefited from Red Hat training and technical support.
Business outcome
Unite testing and development
With its standardized architecture and virtualized, automated testing environment, the VW Group reduced costs for system tests by 50%. It also improved cross-team and partner collaboration with its new platform and agile processes. The group plans to enhance and expand its Red Hat software environment to support current and future innovation. It is evaluating the creation of an end-to-end integration test process for its Car.Software organization with a goal to move from code commit to deployment in customer cars in just 24 hours.
Volkswagen speaks at Red Hat Summit
Volkswagen talks strategy and success for its new automated testing environment during the Red Hat Summit virtual event.
Related stories
Global automotive group races to automated driving with data platform
Education Payroll Limited created a digital payroll service for New Zealand schools with help from Deloitte
POSCO ICT builds smart factory with open source IT
Open source fuels innovation. This fact is exemplified best by Red Hat’s customers, who are using open source technologies to change the game. We’re proud to call them "innovators in the open" and share their stories.
